People

Bozena Samborska, MSc (University of Guelph)
Bozena completed her MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Guelph studying protein structure and function of cyanobacterial carboxysomes. She has been a Research Assistant at McGill University since 2011. In the Kazak lab, she is investigating creatine metabolism in T cell function. In her spare time, she is a maker of delicious bean-to-bar chocolate. Read Bozena’s papers.

Janane F. Rahbani, PhD (McGill University)
Janane hails from a small but historical village in Lebanon. After finishing his Masters degree in physical chemistry at the American University of Beirut, he moved to Montreal where he completed his PhD in Chemistry at McGill. In the Kazak lab, Janane is studying the role of creatine kinase B in adipocyte thermogenesis using inducible tissue-specific knockout mouse models. His research is currently supported by a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship. Read Janane’s papers.

Damien Lagarde, PhD (Université de Toulouse)
Damien was born by the Mediterranean sea in the small French town of Sète. During his PhD, at the University of Toulouse, he studied the role of lactate flux in the metabolic activity of beige and brown adipose tissues. In the Kazak Lab, Damien is investigating differences between germ line and inducible deletion of Ucp1 with the goal of identifying the role of UCP1 in obesity and metabolic diseases. He divides his spare time between hiking, cycling and cooking. Read Damien’s papers.

Abhirup Shaw, PhD (University of Debrecen)
Abhirup was born in the historic city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the eastern part of India. After completing his Masters from University of Calcutta, he pursued his PhD from University of Debrecen in Hungary, where he studied the role of known browning inducers in the thermogenic regulation of human abdominal and neck derived adipocytes. In Kazak Lab, Abhirup is investigating the existence and role of the creatine futile cycle in different cell and tissue types.

Faiz Hussain, PhD candidate 
Faiz is a born and raised Montrealer. He completed his BSc at McGill University. He is exploring how the futile creatine cycle is triggered downstream of thermogenic inputs, using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, protein mass spectrometry and classical enzyme biochemistry. Read Faiz’s papers.

Jakub Bunk, PhD candidate 
Jakub completed his MSc at the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland. He then spent 2 years at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, working on proteomic changes to cardiac mitochondria in response to diet-induced obesity. Jakub spends his free time climbing and hiking.

Zafir Kaiser, MSc candidate 
Zafir grew up in the Greater Toronto Area and earned an honours degree in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill. In the Kazak lab, he is investigating whether rapid activation of the futile creatine cycle can be manipulated genetically. In his spare time, Zafir enjoys playing chess, soccer, and volleyball.  

Maria Guerra Martinez, MSc candidate 
Details of Maria to come soon!

Qiaoqiao (Ellen) Zhang, honours research
Qiaoqiao was born in Urumqi, China and went to high school in Vancouver. She is currently a 3rd year biochemistry student at McGill, studying GPCR signaling in the interior of thermogenic adipocytes and how these signals trigger thermogenesis by the futile creatine cycle. Qiaoqiao loves jazz dance, drama performance, hiking, and is an avid equestrian. 

Hannah Klemets, honours research
Hannah grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. She is a 3rd year biochemistry student at McGill, studying the regulation of the futile creatine cycle and post-translational modifications of creatine kinase B. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys puzzling, bouldering and baking.

Chloe Guo, honours research
Chloe was born in Tianjin, China and spent her teenage years in western Massachusetts. She is currently a 3rd year Biochemistry student, investigating the regulation of thermogenic adipocyte development in the Kazak lab. In her spare time, Chloe loves to visit museums and enjoys watching baseball games with her friends.